


The Whisper of the Wind

by ProPinkist



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst, Dezel and Sorey friendship gives me life okay, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, the scene I needed to happen that probably won't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 16:50:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5505488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing Dezel, Sorey tries to make amends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Whisper of the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback would be greatly appreciated, as this is my first Zestiria fic (first Tales fic at all). Tales is my favorite series of all time, so I hope I'm able to do it justice. I have /not/ finished the game yet, but I just got past Dezel's death and I highly suspect the game is not going to give me the closure I want and need (if it does, I'll be happily surprised... don't get me wrong though, that scene itself and the direct aftermath was absolutely beautiful and touching)... so I wrote this. I apologize if Sorey is ooc; I'm guessing he probably is. ;w;

They were on their way back through Westronbolt Gorge after obtaining another one of the Iris Gems (this time from inside a hellion that had eaten it), when Sorey spoke up suddenly.

“Hey guys… Would it be okay if I took a little detour here? Just for a bit; I’ll catch up with you soon after.”

Everyone turned around to stare at him questioningly.

“A detour? What are you talking about?” Mikleo asked skeptically.

“Yeah,” Rose joined in, glancing in the direction Sorey was looking. “Where do you want t… oh.” She went rigid, remembering what was down that path.

“Sorey…” Lailah began sadly, clasping her hands in front of her. “…You’re not responsible for anything. You should know that.”

“I know,” Sorey replied, swallowing thickly. “…But I just feel like I need to do something. Please understand, everyone.” He turned to Rose, smiling apologetically. “…I’m sorry, Rose, for bringing it up again.” He knew that she coped by putting it out of her mind; always smiling and happy. The only time she had ever let herself cry was that next morning, and never since then.

She was strong, much stronger than he was.

“I-It’s okay, Sorey, don’t worry,” Rose managed, taking a shaky breath. “Do what you need to do; we understand. Don’t we, guys?” She looked around at the others imploringly. They all looked hesitant, wanting to comply with Sorey’s request but not quite happy about it.

“…I don’t like it,” Mikleo said bluntly. “The hellions in there are strong; you shouldn’t go by yourself.”

“He’s right,” Zaveid agreed. “That tower is tall, and crawling with hellions, and you’re intending to climb all the way to the top again for a reason like this?”

_“Yes,”_ Sorey said, so forcefully it startled everyone, even Zaveid. He had a determined look on his face, and he squeezed his fists at his sides. Then, he seemed to weaken, and he looked at Mikleo, pleading.

“…Please, Mikleo,” he said thinly. “Let me go; I have to do this alone. I’ll be safe, I promise. I’ll run away from any fight I can’t handle. …You trust me, don’t you?”

After squinting at Sorey for a long while, he sighed, shaking his head. “…Yes, I trust you. I can see you’re dead-set on doing this anyway, no matter what I say.” Mikleo frowned. “But I have a condition. If you get into a tight spot where you can’t escape, be sure to summon one of us to help you, okay?”

Sorey nodded in earnest.

“ _Be careful_ , and don’t stay there too long, okay? We’re on a tight schedule, you know,” Mikleo finished.

“Yeah, Kittybeard isn’t gonna just wait around while we do our last-minute motivational reflections,” Edna added, spinning her umbrella on her shoulder.

“Please be careful, Sorey,” Lailah implored, and Sorey gave her a reassuring smile.

“I will, I promise. Thanks, everyone; I won’t be long.”

Before Sorey left, he glanced at Rose, and although they didn’t speak, they seemed to share a secret conversation between them. Rose nodded at him, her face tight, but smiling.

Sorey smiled back, and then turned and jogged off down the path towards the Wind Shrine.

 

~~~

 

It was just like it had been before.

Not that it had been that long since they’d been here, of course. …It just felt like it was, after everything that had happened in such a short amount of time.

Sorey peered upwards, craning his neck. The tower was tall and imposing, and yet the depressing air that seemed to surround it before didn’t anymore. …At least there was no one trying to commit suicide from the top of it this time… and he hoped that would stop for good.

“…Well, here I go.”

He made his way inside the tower, the familiar cool breeze energizing him. As expected, the hellions were still everywhere; there was no reason why they wouldn’t be, of course. Fighting them alone was probably iffy, as much as he hated to admit it, but he could probably easily weave throughout them.

_Weave like the wind_ , he chuckled to himself. _I bet Lailah would get a kick out of that one._

Sorey slowly made his way up the tower, finding he could actually handle some of the weaker hellions in the shrine by himself if he really had to. He didn’t quite remember where all the elevators were located, but it was easy to find them.

Most of all, though, Sorey was glad he could Wind Rush across the gaps himself (probably due to the spiritual power?), without the need for a wind seraph. …Otherwise, that meant he would have had to bring Zaveid with him… and he didn’t want to bring anyone with him this time, least of all him.

Sorey knew it was probably selfish and unfair of him… but he couldn’t help it. He had grown to respect Zaveid as they’d gotten to know him better, but he still couldn’t shake what he represented in their group… how he had so forcefully tried to fit in as soon as he saw they were in need of a new wind seraph.

In other words, who he had replaced.

Sorey bit his lip, throwing himself into the current battle. It wasn’t the time for that now; he could do so once he reached the top of the tower. For now, he had to focus on surviving.

As he pushed onward and upwards, Sorey thought about how this was probably his favorite trial out of all four of them (not taking into account the fact that ruins of all kinds excited and amazed him equally). The Water Shrine, while relaxing with the rushing water, had been rather frustrating to traverse, not to mention their unexpected and unpleasant encounter at the end. Edna’s antics at the Earth Shrine had been funny, but chasing down the bull hellion had soon grown tiresome.

He did like the Fire Shrine. As hot as it had been, the scenery was fascinating, with the lava everywhere, and those who built it were quite intelligent to design the torches so that they had to be lit not only in the correct order, but from the correct sides. Almost as genius as the eye mechanisms in the Water Shrine.

…But the Wind Shrine was his favorite. The wind felt amazing and powerful, and he laughed to himself upon remembering how Dezel had finally given in and indulged in Edna’s trolling of him. …Sorey could imagine those two going at it forever, he could _~~(but forever didn’t exist anymore)~~_.

The events that had transpired at the top of the tower were the real reason why, though. He would never forget them for the rest of his life, he knew then.

And especially now.

It wasn’t long before he reached the top floor, and emerged on the outer ledges of the tower. The wind was so much stronger up here, outside, and he could imagine how easy it was to fall off and never be heard from again. …Especially if you already had the intent to do so.

Sorey turned for a moment, looking out across the gorge as well as he could see without leaning over and putting himself in danger. He wondered what the others were doing right now, if they were already worried about him taking too long. …Surely they knew that getting up the shrine took around thirty minutes at the least, and then he also had to get back down.

…Or, if he was feeling brave, he could launch himself off the edge, and have Zaveid use the armatus with Rose to catch him, like they had done for that man before. Certainly would be quicker.

He rubbed his nose sheepishly, chucking to himself. _They wouldn’t go for that even if I had a way to tell them; they were worried enough as it is._

Sorey slowly made his way around the ledge, finally arriving at the rooftop of the tower. He stood in the middle of it and lifted his face towards the sky, closing his eyes and enjoying the wind.

…If he was being completely honest, Sorey knew the others had good reason to be stupefied at him wanting to do this. He was going to return to the top of the shrine… and then what? Reflect? Pray? Just spend some time alone in a place that gave him warm memories?

…Talk to someone who could never possibly hear him, no matter what, so it’d just be like talking to thin air _(ha!)_?

He was only here to make himself feel better, so he could say that he did _something_ , that’s what this was about. Rose was able to talk with him in the last moments… but he couldn’t. Sorey hated the idea that what he was feeling was slight jealousy, but there was probably no other word to describe it.

…But at the same time, Rose had expressed regret that she hadn’t talked to him more when she’d had the chance. None of them had. None of them had tried to get to know him better, try to get him to open up. Deep down, Sorey knew that the wind seraph himself prevented anyone from trying to get close to him, due to his mission… but he still felt guilty.

…And yet… Rose had told them that Dezel had said he had been _happy to travel with them_.

“….Why? Why did you?” Sorey asked the sky, knowing no one could hear him. “What did we ever do for you that made you happy? W-When we were here, you said true friendships were pointless… a-and yet… you felt that way in the end? _Why?!”_ He realized tears were forming in his eyes, and that his voice was catching, but he made no attempt to wipe the tears away.

“Shepherd Sorey? What might you be doing here again?”

Sorey was brought out of his trance, and turned to see the guardian of the shrine coming towards him.

“Oh, Wardell… of course.” He bowed in earnest, trying to hide his face.

“Greetings again to you as well,” Wardell replied. Though his mask covered his face, his confusion was evident. “Is something troubling you? Why have you returned, and so soon?”

Sorey straightened up, and turned away again, sounding tired.

“I… just needed to come here again. This place is comforting… the wind is comforting…” He trailed off, and he heard a slight gasp from Wardell beside him.

“Your spiritual power of the wind… it feels different, somehow,” Wardell said slowly. He seemed as if he wanted to say more, but didn’t continue.

“…Yes,” Sorey answered finally. “We… We lost Dezel. …He passed away… So now I have a new wind seraph. That’s why.”

“…I suspected as much,” Wardell said, his voice heavy. “When he was here, I could sense a kindness from within him, as much as he tried to hide it… but also a strong determination to complete what he set out to do. …So young… such a shame. …I am sad to hear that the guiding light was not enough to protect him in the end.”

“It shouldn’t have had to be the only thing that protected him; _we_ , his _friends,_ should have saved him in the end,” Sorey replied loudly, unable to stop his tears anymore. “Y-You know, despite how much he belittled the idea of friendship when you tried to convince him, in the end, h-he said he enjoyed spending all that time with us. Isn’t that funny?” Sorey asked, turning back towards Wardell.

“…That girl we saved together; he knew she really wanted to live despite everything she said, saw right through her. Despite the fact that I was the one who gave the whole motivational speech, Dezel wanted her to live as well. …H-He was so _happy_ , so proud that we saved her. And then she thanked him so wholeheartedly, and I know that made him happy too, even if he tried to deny it.”

Sorey let out another sob, his voice breaking again. “…Dezel deserved to live too, more than anyone, he deserved it. …R-Rose told us he was smiling, but even still. …I-If he thought he needed to die to atone for everything he had done in the past, after telling that girl that she should atone by _living_ … then that’s not right of him, not fair.” He took a shaky breath, trying to weakly wipe his tears away. “…Wardell, do you believe a seraph whose blessing only brings misfortune to others should not be allowed to exist?”

Wardell folded his hands, obviously thinking. “…That is a difficult question indeed,” he finally said, his voice soft. “…But I believe that a seraph’s blessing always has its place, always has a place where it can do good, not bad, in the world. Even if that place is small, or not obvious… such a place should always exist. A seraph always has a reason to live. …And perhaps even the misfortune they think they have spread is actually seen as a blessing to the ones involved. That is a possibility as well.”

Sorey smiled sadly at the seraph’s words, and nodded slowly. “…I agree with you… and I think the latter was the case with Dezel. …Even if he didn’t know it, he made Rose happy, even if it was in an unexpected way.” He clenched his fists tightly, looking down. “…He made us happy too… I just wish we had been able to let him know that. I…” Sorey swallowed. “…I know how childish it sounds… but we miss him. All of us.”

“Shepherd Sorey…” Wardell began. “You are very kind, as a Shepherd should be. And about what you said before, I am sure Dezel was happy in his last moments not because he thought dying was the only way he could attain salvation, but because he was able to help his newfound friends in some way in his last moments… Am I correct in this assumption?”

Sorey inhaled, remembering back to Rose, and nodded sadly.

“…So yes, and I also know he wouldn’t have said he was grateful to have been with you all if he hadn’t felt every bit of love and friendship from you all this time.” It was obvious Wardell was smiling, even with his mask on.

“He loved you all as a family, despite everything he said the last time. Please believe me, Shepherd Sorey.”

Sorey’s eyes misted up again at the consoling words, and Wardell quietly let him weep openly for his fallen seraph, friend, and brother, who had been taken away from him so cruelly and so soon, when he felt like he was just starting to get to know him.

When Sorey had finally calmed down, Wardell spoke softly.

“Shall we pray for him?”

“…Yes, I would like that,” Sorey answered, getting down on one knee just as he had before… but alone this time.

“We pray that the wind seraph Dezel’s soul will make its safe journey into Heaven, and that the light of the seraphim will protect and grant him happiness and peace… on the other side. He shall not be forgotten.”

_Never_ , Sorey solemnly swore to himself.

After a moment of silence, he stood up, and smiled appreciatively at Wardell.

“Thank you so much, Wardell. Your words have brought me peace; I am in your debt.”

“It is the least I could do, Shepherd Sorey. I pray that more sorrows do not befall you as you continue forward… but even I could not say. …Again, I am sorry about the young wind seraph.”

Sorey smiled sadly. “…But I think everything you told me was true. …Last time, you said our journey would bring “redemption and heartbreak”…and I think that’s what happened. In the end, saving Rose’s life allowed him to be at peace again… so I now understand why he begged me to let him do it. …Even if it came at a terrible price, he did the most important thing he needed to do in his eyes. …So if he was happy, I suppose I shouldn’t disrespect that, right?”

He turned away from Wardell, walking a few steps, and then glanced up at the sky.

“Hey Dezel! I know you’re probably mad at me right now, spending all this time moping over you and getting all mushy instead of focusing on doing what I set out to do… So I’ll just say this. You were a great guy, and we’re all grateful for you. You were important to us, and I just want to make sure you know it. I’m… I’m happy to hear we were important to you, too.” Sorey smiled, despite himself.

“…So anyway, thanks for the fun time together. We’ll miss you, and we won’t forget you. …F-Feel free to come back and kick our asses like you want to if we ever slack off or do something stupid, y-you hear?” he finished, eyes shining.

“…Goodbye, _Lukeim Yurlin.”_

Sorey closed his eyes, and wasn’t sure if it was just wishful thinking, or that he really did feel a burst of warm wind surround him in an almost comforting embrace.

 

~~~

 

“Sorey, _finally!”_ Mikleo exclaimed, running up to meet him with the others in tow. “You sure took your sweet time.”

“Sorry guys,” Sorey said, panting. “It took a while to get up and back down the shrine, even ignoring as many hellions as I could.” He grinned, putting his hands on his hips. “Glad you decided to wait here though; I guess we should have discussed it before, haha…”

Mikleo rolled his eyes. “Well yeah, Pendrago was the closest town, so it made sense to us. …Thank goodness you’re alright though; Lailah told me she would be able to tell if anything happened to you, but still.”

“Someone’s overprotective of his boyfriend, eh?” Zaveid drawled, elbowing Mikleo.

“How _rude_ could you possibly get?!” Mikleo snapped back, blushing. When he heard Sorey laughing, however, he brought his attention back to the Shepherd.

“…Sorey,” he began, his tone surprisingly soft compared to before. “Did you do what you wanted to do?”

Sorey stopped laughing, remembering what the point of all this had been, and smiled a sincere, genuine smile.

“…Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He grabbed Rose’s hand suddenly, much to her surprise, and squeezed it gently. Again, he seemed to silently communicate something to her just from that gesture.

“…I figured everything out. I’m… I’m okay now.” And Sorey was. He felt satisfied, finally.

He looked at everyone’s smiling faces, even Edna’s tiny one, and grinned determinedly, raising his other fist.

“Alright everyone… let’s go find the rest of those Iris Gems, and save our world!”

 

~~~

 

_Hmph… What an idiot, worrying over such trivial things; I knew he would…_

_But… thanks a lot, Sorey._


End file.
